President Cyril Ramaphosa is the thief of confidence. In February 2018, when Ramaphosa ousted the disgraced and disgraceful Jacob Zuma from power, the rand strengthened to R12 to the dollar. On Thursday, just over five years after those heady days, the rand was flirting with R20 to the dollar.

South Africa, and the world, has lost confidence in Ramaphosa’s ability to turn the country around. On Thursday we saw Ramaphosa at his ineffectual worst. As our currency tanked, he could not even rouse himself to respond with conviction and force to the extraordinarily damaging allegations by the US that we had supplied arms of war to Russia. Instead, his spokesperson said he had “noted” the allegations, and Ramaphosa said an inquiry, led by a judge, would investigate...

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